Syria ‑ Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #3, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019

Approximately 25,500 people fleeing Hajin arrive at Al Hol camp between December and February, straining camp capacity

Flooding re-displaces an estimated 23,000 people in Aleppo and Idlib; affected populations remain in need of relief commodities

UN–SARC convoy from Damascus delivers multi-sector assistance to Rukban residents in early February

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

More than 25,500 people—including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Iraqi asylum-seekers—displaced by intensified clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Dayr az Zawr Governorate’s Hajin sub-district arrived at Al Hasakah Governorate’s Al Hol camp from December 4 to February 4, more than tripling the camp’s total population to nearly 35,600 people, the UN reports. New arrivals indicate that movements from Hajin were neither voluntary nor safe, raising concerns regarding SDF-imposed restrictions on freedom of movement, according to the UN. Relief organizations report that many people are arriving at Al Hol in poor health and that new arrivals spend several days in overcrowded reception areas without access to shelter due to capacity limitations at the camp.

Heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding in Aleppo and Idlib governorates re-displaced approximately 23,000 IDPs in late December and early January, according to the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster—the coordinating body for humanitarian camp coordination and management activities, comprising UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders. The majority of IDPs relocated within or in close proximity to their respective displacement sites. Affected populations remained in need of assistance, particularly relief commodities, as of late January, according to a REACH Initiative survey.

On February 6, a UN–Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) convoy reached the informal Rukban settlement—located along the Syria–Jordan border berm—from Syria’s capital city of Damascus to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to the site’s approximately 40,000 residents. The operation represents the third instance of assistance reaching Rukban since January 2018 and the second originating from Damascus.